Tincture
by ncfan
Summary: -Kabuto, Karin- Karin can tell when Kabuto's lying. He doesn't like it.


**Characters**: Kabuto, Karin  
**Summary**: Karin can tell when Kabuto's lying. He doesn't like it.  
**Pairings**: None  
**Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

"What is this?" Karin asks inquisitively, holding the jar with its contents in suspension up to the guttering candle.

Kabuto holds out a hand for her to give him the mason jar and he holds it close to his eyes; there's so many around here that he can't be sure of the identity of all of them. However, this one's identity is clear. When he recognizes the contents, discerns skin made brown and leathery by time, Kabuto quirks the half-life of a smile reserved for "friendly" company. "Fetal kittens," he responds absently, giving Karin back the jar.

Far from being disgusted as other girls her age might be (be they kunoichi or not), Karin only nods. "Oh. I guess that makes sense." Well at least she seems to have a strong stomach.

The girl was sent to him in the days following the failed invasion of Konohagakure, when Kabuto can no longer reside in the village and the medical capacity of Otogakure is divided evenly between caring for Kimimaro and attempting to care for the increasingly agitated Orochimaru. Kabuto has become the primary caretaker for the latter as the murder of medics who are _not_ Kabuto by Orochimaru is growing progressively more frequent; he's about he only one willing to be in the same room with him as of now.

Karin is to assist in Kimimaro's care since he is not nearly so recalcitrant as Orochimaru and isn't quite as picky when it comes to medics. Karin's own kekkei genkai is likely to be helpful as well. _Well, not helpful as much as it should provide insight; I doubt anything is going to help Kimimaro now._

"So I'm just giving Kimimaro-san his medication and checking his vital signs?" In the shadows her pale brow furrows and Karin's frustration is just as plain there as it is in her voice. She wants to be useful; that's more than what can be said of most of the medics in Oto but Kabuto needs to monitor Kimimaro himself.

"Yes, that's it." Kabuto pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose as he adds the mint to the tincture; it has no medicinal value in this circumstance, but it doesn't adversely affect the medication either and it helps to mask the medicinal taste and the strong odor.

A few more moments are passed in silence, as Kabuto finishes the tincture and puts a cap on the small bottle. "That's for Orochimaru-sama, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is. A pain-killer; since there's nothing that can be done for Orochimaru-sama's arms until a new host body is found—" _And he because won't accept any host body but Uchiha Sasuke _"—all that can really be done is to attempt to deaden the pain."

As if to punctuate Kabuto's assertion, a harsh, low scream, barely inhuman in its tones, echoes through the hall outside. Karin flinches; Kabuto, who has far better cause than her to know that that is not Orochimaru's scream, only sighs and wonders which medic his master has killed _this time_.

_Burnt callirhoe is enough to rid the air of the smell of blood; pity it's not in season._

"Does it ever work?" Karin asks, eyebrow raised.

Kabuto's smile is a thing telling of secrets that ought to stay secrets. "Only when he takes it. And it's becoming less effective as the necrosis spreads."

"So this Uchiha kid needs to show up soon, is what you're saying?"

"Either that or Orochimaru-sama needs to take another body, and soon." Kabuto starts to replace ingredients within various storage spaces—some refrigerated, some not—pointedly ignoring Karin, who is still burning with questions and going about as though she wasn't there.

Karin doesn't take the hint.

Even though he isn't looking at her, he knows her crimson eyes have narrowed now. "The word going around now is that you tried to get Orochimaru-sama to use _you_ as a host."

Kabuto doesn't bother looking at her. "You shouldn't believe everything you here, Karin." The mint is placed back in storage. "But yes, I did. Orochimaru-sama didn't agree with me." Voice is just as level as ever. "Now go take the medicine to Kimimaro."

Holding her small bottle with its stopper screwed tightly shut, Karin prepares to leave. Just as she's at the door, however, she turns and says, one more time, "Are you sure there isn't anything more I can do for Kimimaro-san?"

This… This gives Kabuto an idea. Allowing a slow, utterly false smile to climb over his face, he looks at her and lets the candlelight flicker on his face. "Actually… yes. Your bloodline, you said it worked by having someone sick or injured bite you?"

Karin's eyes spark. "You think that would help him?"

"Yes, I think it would."

Then comes the sort of response that even Kabuto wasn't expecting.

"You're lying."

Kabuto looks up sharply at that, narrowing his eyes slightly. "What do you mean, Karin?"

Her face is flat now, her voice just as much so. "When someone lies, there's a spike in their chakra. It's not going to help him, is it?"

"Go take the medicine to Kimimaro, Karin."

That's all the answer she needs.

Once she's gone and has taken her noticeable discomfort and newfound wariness with her, Kabuto takes the bottle reserved for Orochimaru and holds it to the light one last time.

So chakra spikes when someone's lying.

He'll have to work on a way around that. Kabuto can't have anyone knowing the difference between his lies and the truth, not even a little girl no one listens to. It's unacceptable.


End file.
